Tides of War
by Ellie Gant
Summary: For years, the Last Alliance has planned their assault against Mordor. The time for preparations soon draws to an end, but they are far from ready. Will a lowly captain succeed in shaping the coming war in the Alliance's favour?
1. Chapter 1

_Dedicated to my fantastic beta reader,_ _TheSortingHatsSunglasses._

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 **SECOND AGE, 3433 - IMLADRIS (RIVENDELL)**

Much had changed in recent times, yet Imladris remained as beautiful as it always had. Niriel sat on a finely carved bench, gazing at the scenery on her left. The waterfall rolled itself down every curve of the valley and the leaves on trees nearby fluttered as the breeze caressed them. When that same breeze brushed itself past her cheek, she let out a deep breath. The beauty of the surrounding slopes was unspoilt, but the serenity of Imladris had been shattered. The clamouring of hammer against steel drowned out the sweet singing of birds. It was here that the Last Alliance was preparing for the coming war. Niriel turned her attention back to her current task: overseeing the training of new recruits.

The volunteers training at the moment were mainly elves, but here and there she could see a few men practicing their swordsmanship. Niriel and her fellow captains had instructed the recruits to duel each other whilst they observed the progress. Her eyes fell upon the same elf-maiden they often found themselves fall upon. The elf-maiden parried against her stronger male opponent and Niriel noted her narrow stance. He pushed against her sword with his own. She wobbled and then fell.

"Look at this lot," a man said beside Niriel, his eyes upon the elf-maiden Niriel herself had watched. He was a Captain too, but of Gondor's army, not Gil-galad's like herself. "I swear each group of recruits gets worse. They won't last even one day in Mordor."

The elf-maiden crawled back to her feet and turned to leave the class. Before she could, Niriel moved towards her and placed a hand on her shoulder to stop her. She looked at Niriel in the eye for a moment and then her head hung low. Her face was red with shame and Niriel could not help but pity her.

"I'm sorry." She kept her eyes lowered to the floor.

"For what?" Niriel said. "Nobody becomes a master swordsman overnight; my father spent decades teaching me."

The elf-maiden sighed. "I... I did not want to be defenseless and weak again. That is why I volunteered! When Eregion was besieged, I lost many who were dear to me. And I... I could not do anything to help them. All I could do was run. I want to learn to be brave, Captain, that is why I signed up. But now... now I am beginning to think perhaps it was a mistake."

Niriel closed her eyes at the mention of Eregion, she herself had assisted in that war under Gil-galad's banner. Although they had proven victorious, with the loss of an entire Kingdom, it had barely felt that way. Niriel drew in a sharp breath and reopened her eyes to see the elf-maiden still looking down. "Not learning to be brave would have been a mistake. And besides, I believe you have improved a lot since you first joined us."

The elf-maiden raised her head to look up at Niriel, her eyes shining. "You truly think so?"

Smiling, Niriel nodded. "The only reason you lost your balance was because your stance was poor. Had you kept a wider stance, you would have had much more control."

The elf-maiden bowed her head. "I see, thank you, Captain. I will keep that in mind next time."

"Captain Niriel?" A voice came from behind her. Niriel turned around to see a male elf dressed in fine silks. "Lord Gil-galad requests that you see him immediately." Niriel nodded to him and bade the elf-maiden farewell.

She made her way up the arched corridors that were embroidered with ivy and flowers. Although she passed a few civilians, the majority she came across were clad in shiny, silver armour. With the sheer amount of fresh, gleaming weaponry and armoury Imladris had churned out in the past few years, it was little wonder that it had become known as the Great Forge.

When Niriel arrived at the main hall, the sturdy yet elegant doors were wide open. Gil-galad, the elf-king, and Elendil, King of Gondor, both stood round a tall circular table. The two lords were surrounded by five elvish soldiers, all bearing the armour of Gil-galad. A large map had been strewn across the table and its yellowed, curled edges hung down. Niriel remained silent for a few moments, hoping that one of them would see her. However, they all appeared to be wrapped up in a deep discussion. Niriel fiddled with the laces on her left vambrace, fastening it tighter. When it was clear that they would not notice her anytime soon, Niriel stepped closer and then bowed. "Lord Gil-galad. You wished to speak with me?"

The two Kings peered over their shoulders to look at the doorway. Gil-galad nodded and summoned her forward, closer to himself and Elendil. "I hear that training the recruits has been progressing well, Captain Niriel."

She gazed down at the glistening marble floor. Did he merely wish to check on her progress? Or was there something more? "Oh, yes my lord." Niriel glanced back up at him. "Yesterday we completed the training of dozens of recruits for our ranks."

"But unfortunately," King Elendil said. "We still do not have enough." Niriel raised her eyebrows at his response. Of course they did not have enough, they would never have enough to assault Mordor. But currently, their only option was to train new volunteers. Niriel was surprised by Elendil's negative tone, for he knew this fact as well as she did. King Elendil rested his elbows on the edge of the table and leant over the map. "We managed to reclaim Minas Ithil, but it was hardly a victory. Anárion, my son, has barely managed to hold the city against Sauron's forces. Minas Ithil is the only thing that delays Sauron from spreading across the rest of Middle Earth - the only thing to bide us time. For now, Sauron has pulled back. But the fires and sounds of metalwork across Mordor grow every day. He is preparing a large attack on Minas Ithil. Time is a luxury we no longer have and we must act soon."

Niriel frowned. "But, my lord, we still need thousands more for us to even stand a chance against Sauron's armies."

"Indeed," King Elendil said.

"And with respect, Lord Elendil, we will not be able to increase our forces by thousands overnight. We are already training recruits as fast as we can. What you are asking for is impossible, my lord." Niriel swallowed, "It cannot be done." When she'd finished, she let out a deep breath and let her tensed shoulders fall back down.

Gil-galad shook his head. "It is not impossible." Niriel opened her mouth to speak, but Gil-galad continued. "We are not talking about training recruits, Niriel. We are talking about gathering thousands of already trained forces at once."

Niriel gave him a puzzled look. "Where from, my lord? Have we not already asked every nation of free people?"

Gil-galad nodded. "We have, and some refused. Out of those who refused, we plan on asking two of them once more: the elf-kings of Lorien and Eryn Galen."

Elendil folded his arms and the corners of his lips curled into a sneer. "And that might be the impossible part, Captain Niriel. Those foolish elf-lords believe that war will never come to them and continue to hide in their forests. Nevertheless, Lord Gil-galad insists on trying."

"Niriel," Gil-galad turned his attention back to her, ignoring what Elendil had said. "I have asked them myself and both refused me. But I believe they refuse me out of pride, not cowardice."

"But my lord," Niriel gazed at the dark-haired elf-king in wonder. "How ever could I convince them when you could not?"

"They told me they refused to become servants of the Noldor - that if they joined under my banner I would try to seize their lands for my own." Gil-galad shook his head and sighed. "But you, Niriel, you are Sindarin like them. I believe they might listen to you. You must show them that this threat is not limited to men, but involves all people of Middle Earth. You must show them how much of a threat Sauron truly is. If you do, I believe they will consider joining us."

Niriel bowed her head and then dug her nails into her palms. It was truly an honour for the high elf-king to hand-pick her for such a delicate quest. Niriel swallowed. This was a diplomatic task but from what the two Kings had told her, she doubted it would be easy. This quest could prove to be detrimental to the Last Alliance's success. If she failed to convince the two Elf-lords, their Alliance would have little hope against Mordor. "I... " Niriel started, staring at Gil-galad's shiny, metal boots. Niriel clenched her fist. She gazed up and looked Gil-galad in the eyes. "I will try my best, my lord."

King Elendil pointed towards the Misty Mountains on the map that lay on the table. "You will be best travelling through the High Pass. Your journey should not be too dangerous, but out of caution, we have summoned a small group for you to travel with." King Elendil gestured towards the elvish soldiers who stood near. Niriel wondered why King Elendil had not chosen some of his own soldiers for this task. Perhaps he believed that the elf-kings would respond more positively to an entirely elvish company? Before Niriel could contemplate this any further, he began to trace his finger over the map and towards southern Eryn Galen. "King Oropher resides in the South in the capital, Amon Lanc." He then moved his finger south-west towards where Lórien was labelled. "And Amdír resides here, in Lórien. Your entire journey should only be a few days ride, but convincing the King to join our Alliance will undoubtedly take longer."

"Niriel, allow me to introduce you to who you will be travelling with," Gil-galad said. He gestured towards a tall, stern-looking male elf who held his pointy chin high above his shoulders. "This is Andir, one of the finest warriors I have ever fought alongside." Andir bowed his head to Niriel and she did the same in return. Gil-galad then pointed towards two incredibly similar looking male elves. "Farion and Taranir are brothers and unsurprisingly, they work excellently together." Next in line was a cheerful looking elf. When Gil-galad gestured towards him, he gave Niriel a broad smile. "This is Glaeron, who always gives his all to everything he does." And lastly, was a female elf with the longest, blondest hair Niriel had ever seen. She stepped forwards gracefully and bowed to Niriel. Niriel raised her nose to one side and then gave a short, stiff bow in response. "Iestil, a fine archer and an excellent scout." Gil-galad then turned back to Niriel. "It is vital that we gain King Oropher and King Magalad as allies in this war. I believe that Lord Oropher may be easier to convince. Perhaps if you can convince him, his decision might influence Amdír's. Please, all of you, do everything in your power to see this through. And Niriel, remember that these elf-kings are incredibly proud. If you do anything to insult this pride, I doubt they will listen to you."

"I understand, my lord."

"And you must act with haste," King Elendil added. "Your company is ready to leave. Ready yourself and return here by noon. When you return, you ride. Your journey will take you through the Misty Mountains and then on, to Eryn Galen."

Niriel nodded and bowed to the two Kings. Then, she turned and left.

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	2. Chapter 2

Mountains loomed in the distance. Niriel gazed up at them, but the peaks were concealed by thick mist. With each step Niriel and her horse took, the mountains grew larger and larger, and the Sun grew lower and lower. They had followed the Great East Road, a dirt track, through Imladris and now the road took them towards the Misty Mountains. Niriel felt the path steepen and the East Road began to change from a mud path to a path full of pebbles. Niriel and her company had been travelling through the afternoon, and now, as the Sun had finally sunk behind the mountains, dusk was upon them. Since they had left Imladris, they had not come across any other travellers. The road remained quiet, well, save for her companions' chattering.

"Oh, Iestil," came Glaeron's voice from behind her. "Even if I were to turn every star into one bright, beautiful one, it would still not compare to the beauty of your hair." Niriel sighed. When Gil-galad had introduced her to her companions, she had thought Glaeron to be a pleasant, cheerful elf. There was no doubt whether he was cheery or not, but after listening to his poetic descriptions of Iestil throughout the entire afternoon, Niriel was not sure about the pleasant part.

Iestil laughed in response, a sound Glaeron had previously described as being 'akin to the sweet tinkering of gentle, tiny bells'. Niriel wrinkled her nose at the memory. "And once again, you flatter me, Glaeron," Iestil said.

When Niriel turned her head over her shoulder, she saw Glaeron beaming. As well as him, one of the brothers, Farion, was also staring starry eyed at Iestil. Niriel turned back to gaze out into the horizon and shook her head in disbelief. It was almost as if Iestil was working some kind of magic over the two elves. She was not, of course. Niriel hated to admit it, but even she could not deny the fact that Iestil was attractive. She suspected that Iestil only had to walk into a room, and would have every male elf attempting to woo her attention. Niriel frowned. Well, perhaps not everyone; Andir, the stern looking warrior, appeared to be unaffected by her charm. Then again, his face had worn the same neutral look since she had met him in Imladris. Niriel was surprised that Taranir, the other brother, was also unaffected. A few moments later, Niriel took another glance behind her, and saw that the two elves were still entranced by Iestil. Niriel raised her eyebrows and followed their gaze to Iestil. How had such a dainty elf come to be handpicked by Gil-galad and Elendil? Niriel doubted Iestil had ever seen war, let alone participate in it. But, of course, it was none of her business and she certainly did not care. Niriel rolled her shoulders back. Being respected and honoured was far more meaningful than having a few elves infatuated with you. Niriel nodded.

The sky glowed with orange, then pink and then began to take on a dark purple hue. When Niriel arrived at the crossroads, she dismounted and then tied her horse up against a nearby tree. After watching her, Iestil blinked and then, did the same. Once she had finished tying her horse up, she turned to Niriel with a frown carved into her brows. "Captain, are we to stop for the night?"

Niriel folded her arms. "No, I merely wanted to let the horses rest a moment." She turned to face the two paths that lay before her. "It is here that the High Pass separates into the lower pass and the higher pass. I believe we should travel down the lower pass, for it is a far quicker route if we are heading to Eryn Galen."

Andir nodded at her words. "King Elendil ordered us to act with haste. If we were to take the higher pass, we would take a detour round the mountains. The lower pass is much more direct. I agree, Niriel."

Niriel frowned. Andir was the only member of the company that referred to her as 'Niriel' rather than 'Captain'. She cast her eyes to the ground. Did he believe she was a poor leader? She hoped not. Niriel turned her eyes back up to gaze at her company. "Then it is settled. We shall take the lower pass."

Iestil stepped forward and knitted her fingers together, writhing them around. She swallowed. "Captain?" she said, and bowed her head. "I have heard recent reports of orcs surrounding the lower pass. Perhaps it would be best if we were to take the higher pass, instead?"

Niriel bristled. She held her head high above her shoulders and looked at Iestil. "We have no time for excursions around these mountains to merely avoid a few meagre orcs!"

Iestil paused and bit her lip. "But, Captain, the orcs may delay us further than taking the higher pass would."

"Perhaps Iestil has a point, Captain," Glaeron said. He was sat on a rock and gazed up at Niriel, frowning. It was no surprise that Glaeron had come so readily to Iestil's defence.

Niriel shook her head. "I do not fear a rogue band of orcs." Niriel turned her back to Iestil, who was stood behind her, and faced the rest of the company, instead. "If you do, then I suggest you take the road back to Imladris. And then, to Lindon. You will face far worse than a few orcs in Mordor when we finally march upon that foul land."

"I…" Iestil bowed her head. "I understand, Captain."

An uncomfortable silence fell upon the company. Iestil gazed at the floor. Andir closed his eyes. The two brothers glanced at each other. Even Glaeron did not attempt to lift the tension with his cheery words. Niriel stared at the sky. By now, all colour had left and it was a blanket of darkness.

When Niriel had decided that that their horses had been allowed an adequate break, she mounted and took the path on her right that lead through the lower pass. The road began to climb up, into the Misty Mountains. Niriel could not see far into the distance, for her vision was blocked by the mist.

Niriel turned her head over her shoulders. Her companions were all gazing up at the stars, as if they were in a meditative trance. The stars glistened and shone brightly against the darkness, lighting the company's way through the Mountains, and the elves' green-gold armour glimmered in the starlight. Unlike before, their silence was no longer tense. Instead, it was relaxed. The elves all stared up at the beautiful sight of the heavens above.

Eventually, Niriel felt the steep path level out into a much flatter one. Niriel looked up at the road ahead. The path began to descend, twirling round the mountains. The lower pass was still filled with trees and greenery. Had they taken the higher pass, they would have gone up and over the mountains, where the terrain would have been mostly made up of snow and rock.

Niriel heard a twig snap on her right and stopped. She squinted, staring at the bushes where the noise had come from. Andir raised his eyebrows at her. Niriel shook her head and began to move again. But, before she could, something charged at her. She leapt off her horse, and drew her sword and shield. The creature that she had evaded now turned back towards her, its sword pointed at her. When it attacked, she parried and then pushed her sword into its flesh. Niriel peered at her attacker. "Orcs," Niriel shouted to her company. But when she turned round, it appeared that her warning had come late. The elves were already busy defending themselves.

More orcs launched themselves at Niriel. She smashed her shield against those on her left and swung her sword against the ones on her right. No matter how many she and her company cut down, several more sprung up out of the shadows. The orcs leapt out at all angles, forcing Niriel and her company into a tight circle. One of the orcs slashed their sword against her arm, where the gap in her armour was. The blade cut through the fabric and then, through her flesh. Niriel hissed in pain, and gripped her sword's hilt tighter.

The orcs formed a circle around the company, blocking their way out. Where had this large group of orcs come from? She had heard that the orcs of the Misty Mountains had been growing bolder in recent times, but she had not expected them to be this bold. Nor had she expected them to have such an organised ambush. How long had the orcs been watching them? Had the orcs' strength grown at the same time as Mordor's? And how far had their kingdom expanded through the Misty Mountains?

Eventually the orcs moved in on them, pointing their warped, foul swords at the company. Niriel frowned. Why were they hesitating? The one that held a sword pointed at her neck took a step back, and lunged forwards to strike. But, before he reached her, a shout came. An orc barged his way to the centre of the circle - where Niriel's company stood. He squinted his eyes, peering at their armour. He scrunched up his already wrinkled nose. "Lindon elves," he hissed. "What's that foul Gil-galad planning now?" He frowned. "The King will want to hear about this. Drop your weapons."

Niriel's company looked to her, and she nodded at them to do so. When they had, the orc leader turned to his horde of orcs. "Take their belongings, their weapons and their horses. Then bind them." Upon his command, several orcs grabbed Niriel. They wrapped a crude rope around her wrists. Niriel turned to the rest of the elves, and see the same happening to them. Then, the orcs grabbed the elven weapons that lay on the floor, and lead their horses away from them.

"Trying to send a message to Gondor?" the orc leader said. The company did not reply and their faces remained blank. The orc sneered. "The King will force it out of you!" The leader pointed at the orcs to follow his lead. They pushed the elves forward.

The orcs continued down the road for a while and then turned off to the left, through the trees. They led the elves down a small, narrowing path that went downhill. At the end of the path was well hidden cave. Inside, the cave was small and damp. The orcs held onto the elves whilst their leader pulled open a wooden door on the floor. The orcs followed their leader through the door, whilst the ones behind pushed the elves through it.

The door had led them to a tunnel that Niriel guessed would eventually bring them to the orcs' kingdom. Niriel made a note of every turn. The dark tunnel was lit only by torches on the wall, and the floor was made up of wooden panels.

The orcs stopped when the tunnel split into two. The leader shouted something in black speech and pointed towards the tunnel on the left. Half of the orcs went down that way, carrying the elves' belongings and horses away. The leader shouted something again, and led them down the other tunnel.

Like the previous one, this tunnel was lit by the torches on the walls. Niriel moved closer to the wall on her left. When she passed one, she stopped, and peered at how it was connected to the wall. The torch was held in place with a metal holder, and she was sure she could easily pull it out. An orc behind her edged her forward, although Niriel remained close to the wall.

Again, the tunnel split into a few, and the leader directed more orcs to turn off. Although the elves were still heavily outnumbered, Niriel was sure they had a better chance than before. Well, if they had had their weapons that was.

The orc leader turned round to look at the elves, still walking whilst he did. "Does your foolish Gil-galad believe he can defy the Dark Lord of Mordor?" He laughed and then spat. "All of Middle Earth will fall." He laughed again, and then returned his eyes to the road ahead.

Keeping her hands as angled towards the left wall as she could, Niriel tugged on the rope that bound her. The orcish rope was certainly not as strong as elven rope. Instead, it was coarse and scraped at her hands as she twisted her wrists round. And, as well as the orcish rope being lesser to elvish, the orcs' own skill at tying ropes was no match for the elves. Had it been a fellow elf that had bound her, Niriel doubted she would have had any chance at freeing herself. Fortunately, the orc that had bound her had been especially bad at tying knots. When Niriel tried to pull hands apart, she felt the rope loosen. She tried again, but this time, it did not loosen. Niriel's fingers reached up to the knot around her wrist, tugging on it. When an orc looked at her, wondering what she was up to, Niriel stopped. When he looked away, she continued.

The further down the tunnel they went, the louder the drums and chanting got. If Niriel did not manage to free herself soon, then they would be surrounded by even more orcs than when they'd been ambushed. This was the only opportunity she had to break free. If she failed, the orcs would have them tortured until they revealed information and then, killed.

Niriel pulled frantically on her bindings, caring less than before whether or not her intentions were discovered. She continued to scrabble at the knot. Finally, the knot was undone. Niriel held the rope in place. Then, when they came to the next torch, Niriel let the rope fall on the floor and grabbed the torch. She threw it at the orcs in front of her. The wooden floor caught fire. The orcs behind her charged at her. She dodged one and then, when he swept back round to strike at her, she grabbed his fist that held the sword. She pulled it off him and struck him. Whilst she was doing so, another began to charge to at her. Niriel pulled the sword out of the orc she'd slain, realising that her reaction would be too slow.

But Andir, still the same stern look on his face, leapt at the orc. He knocked the orc to the ground and began to kick him. Another orc went for Andir, but Niriel parried its blade. The orc that lay on the ground dropped the sword. Andir grabbed it and cut through his bindings. Niriel's other companions hadn't been simply watching, either. Whilst the orcs had been focused on Niriel and Andir, the two brothers had helped untie each other. Like the other two, they had also seized weapons off the orcs and were holding their own against them. Farion moved to cut Iestil's and Glaeron's bindings whilst Taranir watched his back.

The fire spread even further across the wooden floor, edging its way towards both the elves and the majority of the orcs. Some of the orcs tried to step through it, but screamed as the flames engulfed them. Some made it towards the elves, but they were writhing in pain as they walked and were no challenge to the elves. Niriel gestured for her company to follow her back the way they'd came, away from the fire.

Orcs jumped out from all corners as the company raced back to the surface. Niriel gripped the crude orcish sword she'd taken, and used it to defend herself against her attackers. Once they had defeated that group of orc, Niriel continued to run, knowing that more orcs would soon be on their way.

The company finally arrived at the surface, at the hidden cave that was the entrance to the orcish lair and soon, back to the road. Niriel frowned. The orcs would surely expect to find them continuing their way down the Mountain Pass. But if they turned around and chose the higher pass, instead, it would add a lot of extra time to their journey - especially since they were now travelling on foot. Niriel sighed. She'd just taken a huge risk that had resulted in them losing all their belongings, including their horses and weapons. Niriel glanced down at the shoddy blade. Now, she had to rely on this blade to protect herself. Hopefully the elf-king of Eryn Galen would grant them weapons for she no longer had money on her since the orcs had taken everything. No, it certainly wasn't worth taking another risk in the name of haste.

But when Niriel looked up, she realised her company had already begun making their way down the road.

"Hurry along, Captain," Glaeron cried out whilst continuing down the road through the lower pass with the rest of the group. Niriel nodded and followed their lead. Perhaps they'd be able to outrun the orcs. Besides, the orcs would be able to take them by surprise and corner them again.

The elves continued their speed through the small remainder of the night. When the sky began to grow light, they slowed their pace. Eventually, when the Sun could be seen above the mountains, Niriel gestured for the company to stop. They turned to her, peering at her.

"I believe we have lost them," Niriel said. "And orcs prefer the shelter of the night. If we manage to make it through the High Pass before dusk, we will be fine." Niriel leant against a rock and breathed in heavily. When she did so, Niriel saw the others also take a moment to rest. Though the company were elves, who had more endurance than men, running away from their pursuers for so long had taken its toll on them.

Niriel bit her lip and stared at the floor. They would have to travel by foot now, adding extra time to their journey. If Niriel had listened to Iestil's warning and gone through the higher pass instead of the lower pass of the High Pass, they'd still have all their belongings. And, their journey would have been shorter; Iestil had certainly been right about that. Niriel felt heat rush across her cheeks and ears and was sure they had reddened. She felt that she had to apologise for her error, for snapping at Iestil when she had actually been right. Niriel clenched her jaw. She wasn't keen on the idea of apologising to Iestil. She gazed over to Iestil, who was currently chattering and mostly giggling with Farion and Glaeron. Niriel shook her head to herself. No, she really wasn't keen on that idea. But still, she felt she had to say something. Would her error cause them to doubt her leadership skills?

"Now that we are travelling by foot, our journey will not be as hasty as it would have been before," Niriel said to them. But they remained quiet, and Niriel paused. "Perhaps we should have opted for the high pass."

Andir shook his head. "That does not guarantee that we would not have come across orcs. They likely spread far across the Misty Mountains. I doubt it could have been avoided."

Niriel nodded, hoping that his words were really the truth. But she could not wave away the thought that she should have listened to Iestil instead of her own arrogance.

"Besides," Glaeron said. "Not one of us were injured and no harm was done."

Niriel shook her head. Harm had been done. "We lost all of our belongings - our horses! Our journey will be considerably harder." Niriel sighed, for they had even lost their map. She stared up at the clouds. It would be harder, but they had to press on. After all, there were circumstances far greater than themselves. Without the Sindar Kings' help, the Last Alliance would not be enough to stand against Sauron. And then, as the orc had said, all of Middle Earth would fall.

Having regained her breath and her determination, Niriel continued down the road, and her company followed her. As they travelled, Niriel kept her eyes upon the position of the Sun once again. But this time, she watched with urgency.

"Do you have a wife, Andir?" Glaeron said from behind her.

"Aye," Andir said. "We have been married for years."

"Years?" Niriel heard Glaeron ask.

"Several thousand years," Andir replied. "And we were blessed with two children." Niriel turned her head over her shoulder to see Glaeron raising her eyebrows, most likely in surprise at the elf's age. But Niriel, however, had been unsurprised. From his exceptionally calm demeanour, Niriel had assumed that he'd been relatively old, perhaps around her own father's age.

"And you, Iestil?" Glaeron said.

Niriel shook her head in disbelief. Had Glaeron started the discussion simply to ask Iestil?

"No," Iestil answered. "When I turned one hundred a few years ago, my mother and father both advised me to wed, but I decided not to."

"Why?" Farion asked. "I cannot imagine that you were stuck for choice."

"Indeed," Iestil admitted. "I did not want to rush into anything."

"What about you, Captain?" Glaeron asked.

Niriel froze. She hadn't expected them to ask her. She bit her lip and sped up her pace, away from the company.

"Captain?"

She sighed and slowed her pace. "No, I am not married."

"Are you young like Iestil?" Taranir asked. Niriel supposed they assumed she had the same reasons as Iestil for not yet being married.

Niriel shook her head. "I have seen an oak grow from a sapling into greatness, and then watched that same oak wither and die. One of its acorns took root and I watched that undergo the same, inevitable cycle." Niriel braved herself for the question of why she had not wed. When it did not come, Niriel relaxed and stared back up at the sky. After her words, the company had fallen into an uncomfortable silence.

What had she accomplished in her life so far? For one to be blessed with children, like Andir and most elves her age, that was certainly something to proud of. Niriel sighed. Perhaps she ought to be proud of the fact that she was among the elves that had helped defeat Sauron. Niriel shook her head. Sauron had returned, there was nothing to be proud of. Back then, they had simply delayed him. She supposed Sauron's defeat and return was rather like the cycle of an Oak's life. That was, of course, assuming that the Last Alliance would defeat Sauron, and unless Niriel and her company convinced the elf-kings, the odds were certainly not in their favour.

Eventually, her company began to chatter again, but they did not include Niriel in their discussions. Or, at least, Niriel hadn't heard them. She kept her eyes fixed upon the sun and, when the sun eventually began to settle behind the Mountains, she quickened her pace. Niriel glanced over her shoulder, to see her company matching her pace. She supposed they must have sensed her anxiety because, once again, they fell silent.

Their road had now begun to climb downhill, and Niriel assumed that they were almost out of the High Pass. But, as Niriel watched the sky grow orange in colour, she doubted that they had travelled quickly enough. She leapt downhill, taking advantage of its ease.

Eventually, the path straightened and in the far distance, Niriel could see a thick forest, made up of tall trees. She turned behind her, to gaze at the mountains that they had just travelled through. Niriel sighed in relief. They had made it through the Misty Mountains before nightfall. Niriel turned her gaze back in front of her. It would still be a while before they reached Eryn Galen and there was still an Orc Kingdom lying behind them. Without a word, Niriel sped up her pace.

* * *

 _._

 _Thanks again to TheSortingHatsSunglasses._

 _Please let me know what you think of this one!_


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